Elton John Reportedly Set to Retire From Touring

Elton John is reportedly set to retire from touring after nearly half a century on the road. That would give new poignancy to the 70-year-old's current residency at the Colosseum inside Las Vegas' Caesars Palace.

John has promised a "special announcement" during a joint news conference to be held simultaneously later today in London and New York. He will take that opportunity to call it quits, according to the Daily Mirror.

There's been no official confirmation, however. A countdown clock on John's website is accompanied by a quote from the title track to his masterpiece 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: "I've finally decided my future lies ... ." A video message on his Twitter page simply says John is "embarking on the next phase of his creative journey."

John has endured health struggles recently, almost dying from a rare bacterial infection that he contracted while on tour in South America last year. He has also publicly mentioned retiring before, specifically after becoming a father.

"I’m going to keep working," John told the BBC in 2012 after becoming a dad. "When Zachary goes to school, that’s another different thing. I want to take him to school and I want to pick him up. I don’t want to miss that part of his childhood."

John's last scheduled performance of "The Million Dollar Piano" at Caesars Palace is set for May 19; he played more than 200 shows there, following an earlier 2004-09 stint in Las Vegas. John is also currently scheduled to play two shows in Georgia this summer.

The new video notes that "Elton John made his U.S. debut in a legendary six-night sold-out run at West Hollywood's Troubadour" on Aug. 25, 1970. "Five decades later he continues to be a creative force moving faster than the speed of culture. Now, Elton's embarking on the next phase of his creative journey and it will be every bit as surprising and powerful as his first performance almost 50 years ago."